Fish tape puller



June 9, 1931. y G. J. ROTH. v 1,800,068

FISH TAPE FULLER Filed Feb. ll. 1930 Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATESy maatjes- GEORGE J. ROTH, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNTA FISH TAPEr FULLER- Applicaton filed February 11, 1930. Serial' No. 427,498'.

This invention is a fish tape puller, particularly useful for pulling a steel iish tape and electric wires connected thereto, through an elec-tric conduit.

' The general object of the invention is toprovide a pulling device which will readily grip a steel ish tape with great power, without bending or mutilating the same, for pullj ing the tape through a conduit, and which will readily release the tape after pulling the same any desired length for enabling the device to be moved backward to grip the tape at another point for pulling the tape another length.

A more particular object is to provide a iish tape puller with jaws arranged to apply their greatest leverage when in position for gripping the tape.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings which form a. part of this specification and in which,

Fig. 1 is a side view of my invention, with a fish tape gripped therein for pulling the tape.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of my invention as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end view of my invention.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view of my in` vention with the gripping aws shown closed.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4 showing pivot connections of the gripping jaws and cross head.

Corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters in all the figures.

My invention comprises primarily a pull- ,i-V ing shank 1; a guide rod 2 secured at one end to one end of said shank; a cross head 3 slidably mounted on said guide rod; a pair of jaw levers 4 ivoted at their Qrippinov ends to said' O A h f3 10 secured between its ends to the outer end of saidT shank and` extending atright angles thereto.

The jaws Gare-in theform of cylindrical' studs1'1 outstanding fromthe inner ends of the j awflevers 4, the j aw surfaces 12 oi? which studs are smooth and without' teeth. The pivot screws 5 of the jaw levers 4 seat in the crosshead 3 with their heads engaging the outer ends ofthe jaw studs 11 and-said' screws extendy axially through the cylindrical jaw studs 1 1 and eccentrically to said studs and the jaws 6`,.sothat when the jaw levers r4swing baclwardly on their pivots 8 tlie jaws 6 will be caused to swing togetheron their eccentric screw pivots 5 into their maximum, gripping positionv for gripping the fish tape'13, in whichposition the jaw levers 4 extend at right; anglesV to Vthe pullingA direction ofthe device (Fig. 1). The distance between. thev pivot 5 and the connectingl pin 8 compared to the distancey betweenr said pivot and the grippingsurface 12 of the 'ofeach avv-y lever is in theratioo'substantially 15V to 1, which gives-the/j'awlevers great leverage for causing thesmooth gripping surfaces 1-2 of thejaws 6 to grip the-tape-13 with unusually great power without bending or mutilating" the tape andv without liability of the jaws slipping on the tape. A spring 14 surrounding thev guidefrod 2 bears at one end against a pin 15fon therod and at its other end against thevvcrosshead' whereby the jaw levers 4 are yieldingly urgedl rearwardly and the jaws 6 yieldingly urged into gripping position for grippingl the tape.. Thegnide rod 2 slidably extends through a bore 16-in the crosshead 3 and is formed with ahead 17 on its outer end against which head the cross heady abuts under the-influence of the spring4 14, whereby the rearward movement of the jaw levers 4 is limitedand the jaws arey arrested inv their maximum gripping, position (Fig. The cross-head 3 is formed at its outer edgewith an outstanding guide lug 18 for engaging one edge of the tape and. guiding thetape properly between the jaws 6 tobe grippedby saidv jaws. y

The operation of my invention is as follows:

The tape 13 is introduced Abetween the jaws 6, which, together with the cross head 3, yield forwardly against the tension of spring 14 to receive the tape, the jaw levers 4 swinging forwardly on their pivots 8 and the links 7 swinging inwardly on their pivots 9. The spring 14 then urges the cross head 3 rearwardly, whereby the jaw levers 4 are caused to swing rearwardly on their pivots 8 and the jaws 6 are caused to grip the tape under the influence of the spring 14. Upon grasping the handle 10 and pullingforwardly, the full pulling force, through shank 1 and links 7, is applied to the outer ends of the aw levers 4, whereupon said levers are swung` on their pivots 5 and the jaws 6 are caused to grip the tape firmly under the full leverage of said levers, which is about 15 to 1, and the tape is pulled forwardly, any resistance of the tape being readily overcome as there is no possibility of the jaws slipping along the tape when thus gripping the tape. When the tape is pulled out and it is necessary to get another grip on the tape further backward it is only necessary to push rearwardly with the handle 10, whereupon the jaw levers 4, jaws 6 and cross head 3 are caused to move forwardly against the tension of the spring 14, so that the jaws may slide rearwardly along the tape.

I do not limit my invention to the eXact details of construction herein disclosed because certain changes might be made therein Without departing from the spirit of the. invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A puller comprising a pulling shank, a pair of links connected at one endto said shank, a pair of jaw levers connected at one end to the other end of said links respectively, jaws formed on the other ends respectively of said jaw levers for gripping a tape therebetween, and a cross head to which the jaw ends of said levers are pivoted to cause the jaw ends of said levers to swing rearwardly and said jaws to grip the tape when said shank is pulled forwardly, a guide rod on which said cross head is slidably mounted, and a head on the end of said rod for engaging and arresting the rearward movement of said cross head and said jaw levers with said jaws in maximum gripping position.

2. A puller comprising a pulling' shank, a pair of links connected at one end to said shank, a pair of jaw levers connected at one end to the other end of said links respectively, jaws formed on the other ends respectivelv of said jaw levers for gripping a tape therebetween, and a cross head to which the jaw ends of said levers are pivoted to cause the jaw ends of said levers to swing rearwardly andsaid jaws to grip the tape when said shank is pulled forwardly, a guide rod on which said cross head is slidably mounted and a head on the end of said rod for engaging and arresting the rearward movement of as aforesaid.

GEORGE J. ROTH. 

